Leptodrepana ninae Dadelahi & Shaw

Dadelahi, Samin D., Shaw, Scott R., Aguirre, Helmuth & Almeida, Luis Felipe V. de, 2018, A taxonomic study of Costa Rican Leptodrepana with the description of twenty-four new species (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Cheloninae), ZooKeys 750, pp. 59-130 : 85-87

Leptodrepana ninae Dadelahi & Shaw sp. n. Figs 62-66

Diagnosis.

In dorsal and posterior views, the carapace apex terminates in two sharp tubercles that are deeply arched between. Head, metanotum and propodeum brownish black; lateral pronotum and mesopleuron mostly orange. The mesopleuron is medially shiny and weakly punctate with a shallow foveate band at the precoxal sulcus. The scutellar sulcus has six well-defined depressions. Dorsally the carapace bears a large oval area of orangish brown.

Holotype female.

BL 2.93 mm; FWL 2.8 mm; CL 1.44 mm; CW 0.4 mm; CL/CW 3.6.

Description.

Color. Head brownish black, mandibles yellow, blackish brown apically; palpi yellowish white; antennae brown; lateral pronotum mostly orange; mesonotum orange; metanotum brownish black; mesopleuron mostly orange but dark brownish orange posteriorly; propodeum black; fore and middle leg mostly yellowish brown; hind leg with coxa, trochanter and basal portion of femur yellowish white, trochantellus and dorso-apical portions of femur brown, tibia yellowish white ventrally and brown dorsally; wings lightly pigmented with brown venation except parastigma and vein 1M yellow; carapace mostly blackish brown except large oval area of orangish brown.

Head. HW 0.825 mm; HL 0.65 mm; HW/HL 1.26; face finely punctuate; genae, vertex and ocellar triangle rugulose-punctate; frons depressed rugulose-punctate with weak median carina; clypeus punctate and apical margin rounded; occipital carina complete; antennae with flagellomeres all longer than wide and decreasing in length apically except penultimate flagellomere almost as long as wide and approximately half the length of ultimate flagellomere.

Mesosoma. Pronotum foveolate antero-laterally to rugose at propleural margin; propleuron weakly areolate-rugose; mesoscutum medially areolate-rugose; notauli narrow, visible anteriorly; median and lateral mesonotal lobes punctate; scutellar sulcus with six well-defined depressions, all longer than wide; scutellar disc rugose-weakly punctate; mesopleuron anteriorly rugose, medially shiny and weakly punctate with shallow foveate band at precoxal sulcus, postero-ventrally weakly punctate; propodeum coarsely areolate-rugose with distinct transverse carina raised into small roughly equal medial and lateral flanges.

Metasoma. Carapace areolate-rugose basally to shiny and weakly punctate at apex; in dorsal and posterior views, apex terminating in two sharp tubercles deeply arched between; in lateral view, apex terminating in narrow sloping point below midpoint.

Variation of paratype females. Median carina distinct; HW 0.83-0.88 mm; HL 0.65-0.75 mm; HW/HL1.1.7-1.27; BL 2.93-3.06 mm; FWL 2.66-2.8 mm; CL 1.44-1.48 mm; CW 0.4-0.44 mm; CL/CW 3.36-3.6.

Paratype males. No males.

Material examined.

Holotype female: SAN JOSE, Zurqui de Moravia, 1600 m, iii.1991 (P. Hanson) [UWIM]. Paratype data: 1♀, CARTAGO, Dulce Nombre, Vivero Linda Vista, 1400 m, vi–viii.1993; 1♀, PUNTARENAS, Monteverde, San Luis, L-N-250850-449250, 1992 (Z. Fuentes) [INBio, barcode CR1000-805992].

Remarks.

Leptodrepana ninae is superficially similar to L. conleyae but may be distinguished by the following combination of characters. In dorsal and posterior views, the carapace apex terminates in two sharp tubercles that are deeply arched between (Figs 64, 66). The propleural margin of the pronotum is rugose. The mesopleuron is medially shiny and weakly punctate with a shallow foveate band at the precoxal sulcus. The scutellar sulcus has six well-defined depressions. Dorsally the carapace bears a large oval area of orangish brown. In dorsal and posterior views the carapace apex of L. conleyae terminates in two small tubercles weakly arched between (Figs 21, 23). The propleural margin of the pronotum is shiny and weakly punctate. The mesopleuron of L. conleyae is foveate medially and has a foveate groove at the precoxal sulcus. The scutellar sulcus has five well-defined depressions. The carapace has a baso-medial yellowish white “cape” or patch that extends laterally but not all the way to the lateral margins of the carapace.

Etymology.

This species is a patronym in honor of Nina Michelle Zitani for her invaluable aid and advice in all matters entomological.